Jaya asks Karuna to press Centre to retrieve Katchatheevu

Seeking to turn the tables on her arch rival and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa today asked him to immediately prevail upon the Centre to retrieve Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974.

Seeking to turn the tables on her arch rival and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa today asked him to immediately prevail upon the Centre to retrieve Katchatheevu, ceded to Sri Lanka by India in 1974.

"Karunanidhi has to take immediate steps to prevail upon the Centre for retrieving Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka as it is important for the livelihood of Indian fishermen," Jayalalithaa said in a statement in Chennai.

Pointing out that DMK was part of UPA Government for the last three years, she asked why the state government had so far not taken any steps to retrieve the islet.

Referring to the reports about Sri Lankan Government's move to set up a watch tower in Katchatheevu, Jayalalithaa said the ceding of the islet had created such a situation that it would not only affect Indian fishermen but also the country.

Her statement comes two days after Karunanidhi took an indirect dig at AIADMK in the Assembly when the Opposition sought a resolution demanding retrieval of Katchatheevu. Karunanidhi had sought an assurance that a complete support would be extended to the resolution.

Karunanidhi had claimed that his government had opposed ceding of Katchatheevu and it was Jayalalithaa who had written a letter to then Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao in 1992 stating that the islet was given away keeping in mind the need for good bilateral relations.